Lifehacker reader Paladin writes in with some smart command line-fu for running quick commands using command line switches:

Whenever I want to do a quick "ping google.com" to see whether my network connection is working, I pull up the Run box and run cmd /c ping google.com (or, under Launchy, cmd <Tab> /c ping google.com). The /c argument tells the command processor to open, run the specified command, then close when it's done. You can also use the /k argument, which tells CMD.exe to open, run the specified command, then keep the window open.

Granted, piping in commands like this doesn't save that much time over running cmd.exe, typing ping google.com, then exiting the command prompt, but it does trim down the process and makes something like pinging a site really quick and simple.

For a full list of command line switches, type cmd /? in the Run box or, if you prefer the Launchy method, type cmd <Tab> /?. If you're a command line junkie, let's hear how you use switches in the comments. — Adam Pash